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Tomato pickers deserve a humane wage

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Wednesday June 5, 2013 7:49 AM

Through the Fair Food Program, companies including McDonald's, Subway, Burger King, Chipotle,
Yum Brands, Sodexo, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods agree to purchase exclusively from farms upholding
a code of conduct with zero tolerance for wage theft, slavery and sexual abuse. This ensures other
basic workers' rights and raises farmworkers' pay by a penny per pound.

Florida tomato harvesters still are paid by the piece. Today’s average rate of 50 cents per
32-pound bucket of tomatoes hasn’t changed since 1980. Workers must pick more than 2.25 tons of
tomatoes in a typical 10-hour workday to earn minimum wage.

Only one of the nation's five largest fast-food companies still refuses to participate in the
Fair Food Program. Wendy's is second only to McDonald’s in profits, yet it cannot afford to ensure
that the laborers who pick its tomatoes are afforded basic human rights? Really?